Gas turbine engines conventionally include static compression seals which are operable to control internal air leakage between static components. For example, in either the compressor section or turbine section of a gas turbine engine, an outer casing encloses compressor and turbine nozzles. Such nozzles are static structures including a plurality of stator vanes that extend radially into the primary stream of air flow or gas flow through the engine, the vanes operating to alter the angle of incidence of such air flow on to the next adjacent compressor or turbine as the case may be. In many applications such nozzles include an annularly shaped outer support ring from which the stator vanes extend radially inwardly. It is important in such situations to seal between the casing and the annular support ring of the nozzle to minimize internal air leakage.
Often such compression seals are located in remote, quite inaccessible locations. In such instances, compression of the seal, which is normally metallic, may be a difficult assembly process. Typically, relatively large arbor presses are often utilized to force the relatively large annular support ring axially to compress the seal. Because of their inaccessibility, such compression seals may be subject to "hidden" damage through improper or over compression thereof during assembly.